#75 - quiet time at the farm

I lost my beloved dog Bohdi yesterday and have been mourning his death. As a result my riding plans went out the window. Teddy and I are having a short break and have spent our time taking off botfly eggs from his legs. Damn Botflies!

I will ride Dick tomorrow if I'm up to it and weather permitting (38 degrees right now).

#74 - Best Ride yet!

I had what I consider to be my best riding lesson to date. I had the patterns working well and had Dick listening to me (more or less).

I spent a lot of time at a trot in diagonals and going over a series of jump poles on the ground, into figure eights then going down a straight trying to remain in a raised position for the length of the straight at the trot, then back over the jump poles again. This demonstrated to me that I have got good muscle strength but I need to work on my core strength and balance. It was too difficult for me to keep the raised position for the length of the straight. I also felt my pelvis was in a good position for the first time and it made a heap of difference to my ride.

The second half of the lesson was spent working on transitions between walk, trot, canter, trot, walk. Dick is funny as he goes from a canter to almost a dead stop but not every time so you have to be paying a lot of attention! Once I had to grab his massive neck to stop me going over his head! Talk about needing balance!

It's interesting to see not only the physical strength but the mental strength required to get all parts of your body operating independently whilst keeping your balance and instructing the horse. Today the hard work paid off but it was mentally tiring. It gives me a new appreciation for dressage riders who make it look so effortless. I can now see why non-riders see good horse riders and think riding is just about learning to sit there while the horse moves underneath you. What people don't realise is just how much is going on all at once. The fact that with English riders you cant even see them giving direction to their horses goes to show the extent of the communication that is going on between the horse and the rider. What it takes to get to that level is serious commitment, discipline and countless hours of work.

I came home and did ground work with Teddy and reviewing all the partnership levels and he's great at all of it. The only thing I noticed was he seemed a bit stand offish today. Maybe he's just having one of those days or he's had enough of me cheating on him with another horse LOL! He is impressive to me still and I love him dearly. I've decided, after some advise from Lisa that on the days I'm not riding him I will start on the harmony levels. I've also got a few strategies up my sleep for Teddy in the saddle. I have high hopes for my Teddy Bear still.

#73 - Help! I have so many questions...

Today I had another riding lesson and it felt like my worse yet. I'm not quite sure what was going on with me but I just didn't feel right (I wasn't sick or anything like that) and this feeling came through in the way I was riding. Stuff that I had learnt in lesson one wasn't happening today and I needed to review simple rising trot stuff as I was too far forward in the saddle. Diagonals went out the window!

Thankfully I did improve and once Kim had me bending my legs back to my bum while sitting in the saddle my leg position improved (yes I needed to use a hand to get them all the way back there - but just at the end LOL!). This altered my centre of gravity and made a dramatic difference to the way I rose in trot and rode overall. I will need to practise this position more.

The cantering at the end of the lesson was fine, Dick (the palomino pictured above) has a very nice rocking horse kind of canter, I will just need to work on the transition out of canter to make it more smooth. I don't find it too difficult on Dick though.

When I got home I saddled Teddy up to practise what I had just learnt and took him to an area I mowed out yesterday specifically for riding purposes as the grass has gone bonkers in the paddocks.

I discovered that although he has had his teeth done he threw his head up and down for a good 30 minutes. This is probably the worst he has ever done it. It drove me nuts, particularly as I can't find a reason for it other than him just not wanting to cooperate.

My solution was to persevere, which we did, and after 30 minutes I got off to readjust my stirrups. When I got back on he was much better for reasons I don't understand. This may be because I tried not to hold his head so collected but I cant be sure as when we were trotting he broke into a canter and at that stage my reins were too loose to correct him immediately. I had it all under control but I didn't like the feeling as I couldn't get any messages down the reins until I had gathered them up to the right length.

Also I noticed that Teddy is very fast at all paces. He's a pretty fast walker but nothing too major. He's a very fast trotter and my first few seated paces at a trot felt like I was bouncing like a rubber ball thrown into a confined space. Also, I must admit that his canter is way too fast for me at the moment - almost scarily so. But luckily I never felt like I was going to fall.

• Is it possible to work Teddy through this head throwing?
• Should I get a martingale?
• Will I learn to like the speedy Teddy when I get better at riding?
• Can a horse that has done polo learn to slow down?
• Are there any special techniques to teach a horse to slow his pace? and what are they?
• Can I learn what I need to learn as a rider and teach Teddy what he needs to learn at the same time? I need to keep in mind that I want him for trail riding.
• When I first got Teddy he had a neck problem that I believe we successfully treated and the woman who treated him said it was due to being in a frame all the time. If this is the case should I not be holding his head in like is required for dressage? It did seem to make a difference. If so, where to from here?
• Above is a photo of his saddle cloth from today and the sweat pattern on it. I was told that if the sweat pattern is not even the saddle doesn't fit properly. This looks even to me but there are some dry patches. Does this count as being even?
• If not I have a foam saddle riser, should I be using it?

Anyone's knowledgeable advise would be welcomes. Thanks

#72 - Teddy meets the Dentist - The Movie

As the title of this blog suggests this is an approximately 6 minute video on Teddy's encounter with the Equine Dentist today. It's his first dentist visit while I have owed him and it's my first experience with an equine dentist ever. This video is half educational - for those who are seeing a equine dentist at work for the first time, and half entertainment - because it's my punk horse Teddy after all!

In typical Teddy fashion it started badly. Peter Lane (the dentist) was approaching Teddy without me there. Peter wasn't doing anything to him 'dentist like' other than introducing himself and attempting to give him a face and gum massage, he wouldn't have had time to do anything as I was gone about a minute. But surprise, surprise, Teddy freaked out and rear up, and up, and up until he flipped right over on his back! Unfortunately (or fortunately) I was getting my video camera at the time so didn't capture it on film.

When I returned to the paddock Teddy was running around in a state. Thankfully he wasn't injured. After he had ran a few laps Peter approached him calmly and got hold of the lead rope without Teddy protesting at all. I thought Peter was excellent. I could tell from that approach that this man knew horses and the way they think. That kind of skill is a great thing to witness.

To prevent any further attempts to flee we took Teddy over to the cattle crush area and in the small paddock that surrounds it. Teddy was secure and appeared to have calmed down.

The whole file-in-the-mouth dentist work took about 30 minutes. When Peter got to work Teddy started off fine, as the video demonstrates, but about 3 quarters of the way through he got fed up and started fidgeted and getting shirty. Nothing too dramatic though.

Through everything that happened Peter was impressive. He was calm and sensible, he didn't get into the macho 'domination of the horse' thing, and he used a number of great calming techniques on Teddy that worked well. He was also happy to engage with me and the camera and answer all my questions; the latter is always a good sign in my book.

If anyone in Victoria is after a equine dentist I would recommend Peter Lane. If you would like his details just send me a comment below.

Until next time, I hope you enjoy the video.

#71 - Diagonals, film and photos

The above video is the only footage I have of myself riding today as Kim, my instructor and video taker, was unfamiliar with my camera and when she thought she was filming she wasn't, and when she thought she wasn't, she was. As a result I have 25 minutes of footage looking at the arena floor or Kim's fingers. LOL! Too cute!

Luckily we have a few photos as well. I will be instructing the instructor on the better use of my camera next time (poor Kim didn't really have any instruction this time around).

Today my lesson got off to a late start as the vet was at Aurum when I arrived. So I watched a pregnancy ultrasound being performed on a mare and held a towel for the vet so he could see the ultrasound screen. It appears that Kim and Richard can expect a newborn foal this coming December. A brother or sister to this little girl pictured above.

As for the lesson, well I've decided that Dick must be reading Teddy Log because after Sunday's post I was really tested in the first five minutes of today's lesson. I thought he was going to run into a fence he was that keen not to do as I asked! However this time it may well have been my aids as I need to really exaggerate my movements due to my natural flexibility. I turn my head and almost have to look at the top of the horse's bum before my shoulders turn as an aid. This, combined with a too loose rein probably wasn't getting the message through to the horse. But once I corrected this Dick did a pretty good job.

It's easy to let something like that fluster you and put off your equilibrium at the start of a lesson so I took the time to refocus with a few deep breaths and started over.

When we got into the lesson we concentrated on diagonals while posting and I think I did it quite well. The challenge here is knowing if I'm on the correct leg without looking. Once again, like with all other parts of riding, it's about feel not sight. I did this fairly well on both reins and will practise this further with Teddy after the dentist gives him the all clear tomorrow. Any practise on my own will be hard so I might spend my time with Teddy working on recognising foot fall by feel instead of at pace. I don't want to think I'm doing it right to discover at my next lesson that I've mixed it all up.

Nearing the end of the lesson Dick would break into canter when he shouldn't, almost like a child in the back seat of the car saying, "Are we there yet?!" I quickly regained his focus and finished the lesson the way Kim requested me too, not the way Dick wanted.

I think Dick got the message that I'm worth listening too this time. Hopefully I'll see proof of this on Saturday.

#70 - Forget tennis elbow; I have bathtub knee at a canter!

Today I had my first lesson in nearly a week due to the weather and after my fall in the bathtub my sore knee hasn't fared too well. Just resting along the saddle made it hurt and when I was mounting it twanged like a guitar string. But I soldiered on.

I found it interesting that in such a relatively short period of time between lessons I have lost some rhythm in the saddle, requiring me to practise to find it again. (If it wasn't due to the break it may be because I'd only had four hours sleep after being to an 80's theme dress up party the night before! See pic.) My concentration could have been better. However, once I found my stride I did cantering for the first time with my instructor.

It felt very comfortable and was in a much straighter position than I'm used to. But the transitions between paces wasn't as smooth as I would have liked them to be and this will only be corrected with practise. I will need to spend some time working on a number of issues so I can achieve this. I will concentrate on:

• Having my arms resting along the side seams of my t shirt as I ride while having my hands raised
• Doing an excercise where I rise for two strides at a trot without double bouncing on the way down - I hope to do this by keeping my heels down and calves closer to the horses sides
• Improving my alignment, specifically the small amount I bring my feet forward at a trot. This one may be difficult to practise on my own because I don't really recognise I'm doing it apart from on the odd occasion when my feet slip back in the stirrups.
• Being on my bum bones without loosing my alignment at a canter.

Today I have also developed a new appreciation for a school horse. Apart from the obvious benefits and convenience riding a school horse they offer you an opportunity to demonstrate leadership without intentionally doing so.

If you have never had lessons but have been on a trail ride there is a similarity to show what I mean. Every trail ride I've done with an organised group I quickly discover that the horses have taken the same trail day in and day out for a very long time, so they know it like the back of their hoof. They start off slow in single file just plodding and you are hard up trying to get them to pick up the pass and the moment they turn the corner to "home" they are off like a shot. If they are anything like the rides I had in Monument Valley in Utah, USA or in the Daintree Rainforest in Qld, the horses get to a section in the trail and bolt off home whether you were up for it or not!

The similarity with school horses is how a school horse also knows the ropes; to head toward the 'out' gate, the pattern of the lessons and how he will do something without being asked or visa versa by refusing to do something when asked halfheartedly, and when his own body clock letting him know that the lesson is nearly over and he will go "off the job".

This can be a real benefit in a lesson. I ride a horse named Dick and he's an excellent school horse but he will try it on, in small ways, if you let him. Sometimes he will head towards the gate when you are wanting to go another way or he may just stop cause he wants too. And why wouldn't he? The first time he does anything like this the first question in my head is what aid or message did I give incorrectly; I never think it's him trying it on. It's a perfect "give an inch and take a mile" scenario. If I continue to allow these things to happen more than twice I think I really have to start looking at my communication with the horse as its not always about aids and exercises. I think it's essential information for me as a student and would be just as important for the instructor too, particularly in a group situation or when the instructor would need to recognise the fine line between a rider with fear, being a 'soft touch', and at the other extreme, being heavy handed.

I hope to see this within myself as I learn.

#69 - withstanding the floods

It's been a very worrying time the last few days. Not only have we watched our northern friends in Queensland get devastated by flood, we have also had to endure the same. Thankfully it hasn't been on as grand a scale as Qld but it was hairy for me nonetheless.

This morning, what was once my dam resembled a lake after 2 days straight of driving rain. As the picture shows the dam rose to within a few metres of the house. Luckily our draining systems coped but it was a bit scary. I had to contact the SES (State Emergency Service) in the end and they arrived just as the weather was breaking.

Teddy has hated the whole rain and flood experience. I would go out in the driving rain to check on him, reassure him, change his rug and give him a feed. He just stood there with his head hung low. If I tried to move him from any place he had chosen for himself he would become very frighten and play up, not letting me halter him mainly. Once he got to the drier place I chose (while still walking with his arse to the rain) he would relax and show affection to me. Now I am pleased to say that he is back to his good ol' self. I reminded him that he got out of a dentist visit today as the flood kept the dentist away. Now that has to have cheered him up!

Steve and I went into town to inspect the damage and the worst hit was the racecourse. It's completely underwater. The flood water hit it with such force that 10 foot chain link fences have been crushed down and split apart. You could just see the top of some of the ironwork chair backs in the picnic grounds and the top of the monument is just visible.

As Steve and I were wadding through the water to get a closer look at the damage and take some photos I heard a neigh behind me. I walked toward the stable block that was flooded through and saw a horse in the closest stall to the door; all other horses, if there were others, were gone. Someone had put a whole heap of full chaff bags up against the entrance to the stable but there was no people around. This horse was standing to his cannon's in water. On the way back to the car I stopped a copper and let him know the horse was there. I hope he was OK cause he certainly didn't look very pleased (that expression wasn't a chance shot with the camera, he looked like that the whole time.)

Just this afternoon, 3 days later, the rain has finally stopped, the sun is out, it's as humid as hell and bugs are everywhere.

I did learn a lot from this experience, such as:

• Our place can withstand any amount of steady rain but gets worrying at the torrential kind
• Cows with stand around and eat grass through anything - the only thing they did differently during the rain and flooding was stop swishing the flies with their tails because the flies were smart enough to leave!
• Yabbies go walkabout in the rain (reasons yet to be confirmed)
• Idiots with drive through flood waters at 100 kmh and overtake you!
• SES men need to learn to carry hankies (seriously all 5 of them had gross things going on!)
• Chickens love the rain even though they look ridiculous with their feathers wet and are ridiculous animals anyway
• The fifth season of Dexter is excellent! (I watched the entire season while confined indoors.)
• It's not easy to swap over to a mac computer, and as a result I now don't know how to arrange pics in this blog.
• The rain brought a new group of ducklings to the dam - which are just beautiful!

To end a perfect few days I thought I would take a well deserved bath. In the process I slipped and smashed my knee into the tub! Yep! Perfect!